We join all those childhood cancer victims, their parents and families, all of those pediatric doctors and all of those scientists and researchers, in supporting President Donald Trump's call to spend an additional $500 million in the war on childhood cancer.

I finished reading the Harry Potter series a few weeks ago, for the first time. When I admit to this long-standing vacuum in my life, people are always shocked. Since I've read every scrap of Tolkien ever to hit print, why hadn't I consumed Potter products immediately and with zeal?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.

Americans deserve an attorney general who will uphold the Constitution for all Americans — regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or religion. We have not had that under Sessions. It seems likely our lot will stay the course, if not worsen, under Barr.

When Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives, there was some cause to not feel total despair. It seemed inevitable the Dems would overplay their hand and eventually expose their true colors. Gaining power was the intoxicant they desperately sought, far exceeding any desire to actually govern responsibly.

It's no secret Oklahoma's prep basketball playoff system has vexed me since the day I arrived here now more than a decade ago. One thing that is clear, no matter the common sense arguments, our friends at Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association have no interest in changing a system devised 49 years ago.

Here, where we live, many have been here for a generation or longer. Others may have settled within their own lifetimes. Our experience with the land as settled people makes us different and unique from a wider worldview of an average person on the planet.

When Boy Scouts of America decided recently to admit girls among its ranks, there was some initial grumbling. And when two years ago BSA opted to admit transgender children, there was even more noise from folks who are afraid to veer off the traditional path for any reason.

Of course, optimal viewing is out in the countryside, or as dark as you can get. On a clear, moonless night, it should take you only a couple minutes to find Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades after letting your eyes adjust.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” ~ The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

Internet usage takes up a large part of the day for the average American. From social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to video games, to applying for jobs or the countless other things there are for people to do online, the risk of potentially being the victim of cyber crimes is at an all time high.

I've been around a long, long time. I've been at the Tahlequah Daily Press since 1985. And while my memory isn't what it used to be, TDP's memory is extensive, and it's been around way longer than I have. Its paper pages, tucked away in our "morgue," coupled with a digital record that extends back to 2006, contains all the news that's fit to print, and then some.

If we are to preserve the life-giving, Christ-affirming potential of our families, our communities, and society as a whole — if we are to be the salt of the earth — we have to take our faith off the shelf and rub it into this world.

True leaders of Christianity and Islam have long denounced using God’s name to incite violence. But, this week’s joint proclamation came not in spite of Christian and Muslim differences, but based on our shared faith.

The concern for improved border security in the U.S. has many people talking these days. I believe Americans want improved border security, and I think the same holds true for those serving in the Congress.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday night asked Americans to “reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.”

Although some of the hostility and shouts of "liar!" may have been uncalled for, the Tahlequah City Council meeting Monday night, Feb. 4 was a fairly good example of how citizen input can get results, and quickly.

Corporate personhood began in 1886 when a clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court misconstrued a ruling. Ordinarily, a few brief sentences at the top of a court opinion summarize the ruling in the case. The Bank of the United States case contained erroneous "headnotes" summarizing the case. It was later said to have stood for the view that the 14th Amendment applied to corporations. The 14th Amendment was actually intended to expand civil rights for just people.

Over the past few years, Oklahoma has become a battleground over education. Who gets what funds? Who gets a raise or not? What is the best way to reduce class size? Should this or that be consolidated?

Tahlequah city elections have always been nonpartisan, and the same is true for Cherokee Nation politics. But things don't always shake out that way, and sometimes, party affiliation affects how people vote, or how officials make decisions once they're in office.

Let’s talk trash. I mean the noun, not the verb. Trash is anything in our lives that is worth little or nothing. You’ve heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Sometimes we can give our gently-used-but-still-has-value-to-somebody trash to a good cause. There are several in Muskogee among which are the Salvation Army and Teen Challenge. But there is that trash that obviously is not valuable to anybody. What happens to it?

First, sincere apologies. The News Press inadvertently omitted an important story about the Stillwater City Council elections. During coverage of a December City Council meeting, the resolution calling for the election was announced, as was the filing period. We reported the election resolution, but not the filing periods, and did not subsequently report the filing periods in a follow-up manner, and a lack of oversight failed to catch that omission from the reporting.

According to the United Health Foundation’s recently released annual report on American health, Oklahoma ranks 47th in the nation. This is a decline from our 43rd place ranking the year before. That is the largest rank decline in the entire country. Based on analysis by the Census Bureau, 14 percent of Oklahomans did not have health insurance in 2017. The only state with a higher uninsured rate was Texas with 17 percent of its population uninsured.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 11.8 percent of Americans lived in food insecure households in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available. Food insecurity means you don’t have enough food in the house to support all those living there.

Being placed on a watch list often carries with it a negative connotation, and it is no different for three countries identified this year by a global organization that strives to give a voice to victims and witnesses of corruption.

The mid-week cold wave with all its frigid, breath-freezing winds, snow and misery for much of the country got me into Mr. Peabody’s Wayback machine, even as Oklahoma was spared from the brutal temps and heavy snows.

The news last week that a few rural schools in Cherokee County had closed due to widespread illness was a source of consternation for many parents. Was there something serious going around that their kids might catch, and if schools were shuttered, would that mean an extension of the year?

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First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.